Raipur: Walking one step ahead of the central government, the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Chhattisgarh emerged the leader in ensuring availability of food as a right to its citizens as the state assembly on Friday passed its food security bill unopposed.

Replying to the debate on the Chhattisgarh Food Security Bill 2012 in the house, Chief Minister Raman Singh said that his government was committed to the welfare of all residents of Chhattisgarh and wouldn't let anybody die for want of food.

Terming the decision as historic, the chief minister said being an agrarian society, people of Chhattisgarh wholly depend on agriculture, which has so far been a single crop affair, crippling their economic condition greatly. But the land of Chhattisgarh is fertile as also blessed with enormous deposits of mineral wealth and in this situation, it is the duty of them all to ensure welfare of those who could not afford even two ends meal, he added.

Exuding his happiness, Raman Singh said he has never been so happy in his entire political career as today when his dream bill will be realised, ensuring food to seven lakh extra families who have been left out of the previous arrangements. He also said the bill has safeguards to deal with the shortcomings in the proposed national food security bill which is still under consideration.